The French government has strongly opposed a proposal by the British right-populist party Reform UK to use naval forces to intercept and return migrants attempting to cross the English Channel to France. On 3 August, Nigel Farage’s party unveiled a plan called “Operation Fortress.” If it comes to power, Reform...
Danish Defence switches to 11-month conscription
Denmark has fully transitioned to extended compulsory military service as of 3 August 2026. Service in the Army, Navy and Air Force now lasts 11 months instead of the previous four, according to the Danish Defence. Under the new model, conscripts complete five months of basic training followed by six...
Record low water levels on Rhine and Danube disrupt European shipping and agriculture
Europe is facing one of its most severe low-water crises in recent decades as prolonged extreme heat and drought drive water levels in the Rhine and Danube to historic lows. The situation is disrupting freight transport, power generation and agricultural irrigation across multiple countries. On the Rhine, gauges in Cologne...
European law enforcement exposes network recruiting teenagers for contract killings
European police have uncovered the activities of the international criminal network Foxtrot, which systematically uses teenagers to carry out contract killings and attacks. The organisers recruit young people online and via social media, while the group’s leader is hiding in Iran. Since 2022, investigations indicate the network has been involved...
Hackers steal data of 31,000 companies in Liechtenstein
The Government of Liechtenstein has reported a serious information security incident. Unidentified perpetrators gained unauthorised access to the specialised Register of Beneficial Owners. The attack occurred on the night of 29–30 July 2026. Later that day, specialists at the Office of Justice detected irregular activity. The system was subsequently taken...
Reform UK pledged the “largest military operation in the English Channel since the Second World War” to stop migrant boats
The Reform UK party has promised that, if it wins the next election, it will launch “the largest military operation in the English Channel since the Second World War” to stop the arrival of asylum seekers on small boats. This was stated by the party’s leader, Nigel Farage. The plan,...
Number of millionaires in the UK has fallen to lowest level since the 2008 crisis
The number of UK residents with personal wealth of at least £1 million fell by 7% in 2025 to 442,000 people. This is the lowest figure since the global financial crisis of 2008, according to updated calculations by the Adam Smith Institute. Compared with the peak in 2021, when the...
New AI system transparency rules enter into force in the EU
On 2 August 2026, transparency obligations under Article 50 of the Artificial Intelligence Regulation (AI Act) came into effect in the European Union. This was announced by the European Commission. The new requirements are designed to make it easier for people to recognise when they are interacting with AI or...
German Foreign Minister calls on European Commission to make protection of EU external borders an absolute priority
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on the European Commission to give “absolute priority” to the protection of the European Union’s external borders. He made the statement in an interview with the newspaper Bild am Sonntag, commenting on the recent mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta....
Hungarian PM declares five-day emergency energy regime
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said the country will face its most tense period in the energy sector amid the near-total shutdown of Hungary’s only nuclear power plant, Paks. The cause is the record-low water level of the Danube, which has left the plant without a sufficient volume of cooling...